Archive for April 6th, 2009

Howard Berman, the U.S. Congressman who is sometimes called the "representative from Hollywood", was at it again today, leading hearings at the Foreign Affairs Committee on Global IP Theft that quickly became yet another case of "BlameCanada." As implausible at seems, there is a regular sport in the U.S. of claiming that Canada is the source of evil when it comes to IP laws.

At today's hearing, Berman demanded that Canada implement the WIPO Internet treaties, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees inaccurately claimed that " Canadian movie theaters account for nearly 50 percent of all camcorded sources worldwide" and urged Canada to pass legislation similar to the DMCA (Disney Chair Richard Cook noted that the anti-camcording law has reduced Canadian camcording), and Universal Music Group President Zach Horowitz claimed that Canada has the highest level of online piracy in the world, that we are a haven for unauthorized music sites, and that "there is no recourse against online theft." After this misleading and inaccurate testimony, Horowitz then urged the Congessional panel to ask Canadian officials "to explain their reputation as a nation unfriendly to the policies at the heart of copyright and the realities of the borderless digital marketplace."

One of the most interesting points of discussion/disagreement during the ACTA briefing arose from the possibility of including a de minimus exception within the Border Measures chapter. The exception is presumably designed to ensure that tougher border measures does not result in iPod searching border guards. Canadian officials indicated that […]

Canadian officials were asked whether there was a timeline for completion. Officials responded that they could not confirm that the treaty would be completed by the end of 2009, noting that negotiations were delayed to start the year by a new incoming administration in the United States. The next round […]

Canadian officials confirmed that they favour a more transparent approach to ACTA. They indicated that there are ongoing discussions among negotiating partners about how to address transparency concerns. During the meeting, officials released a document that will apparently be made available by all ACTA negotiating partners. The document – which […]

The ACTA briefing included a look at the treaty to date that effectively confirmed the substance of many of the leaks online. They plan to post the powerpoint slides used for the presentation, but the key points on substance: